Seven ways self-driving cars could change Australian life

Self-driving cars are coming. In a way, they are already here, thanks to the outstanding active driver aids offered by luxury brands such as Tesla, Volvo, Audi, Mercedes, BMW and Infiniti.

But smarter and more capable cars are on the way, which will no doubt change the way Australians get from A to B.

Frustrated by a lack of planning from government bodies, the Australia and New Zealand Driverless Vehicle Initiative (ADVI) published two papers on Tuesday examining the potential possibilities of self-driving cars, one examining parking infrastructure and another on future transport planning.

Your next home could be in a car park

Rita Excell, executive director of the ADVI, says urban parking facilities will represent wasted space and a strong development opportunity in the near future. Many new cars offer hands-free parking assistance, and advanced models such as the Tesla Model X, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 7-Series offer drivers the option of exiting their vehicle, letting it park itself.

That opens the door to scenarios where your car could drop you off at work - or take the kids to school - then go to work for you throughout the day or recharge in an autonomous vehicle hub well outside the CBD.

Either way, there's a chance that inner-city parking facilities will be repurposed as housing, retail, green or business spaces to accommodate our growing population.

"Because most vehicles typically sit idle for 96 per cent of the time it creates a lot of wasted parking spaces in the city, streets and homes," Excell says.

"We can expect multi-storey carparks being transformed into community spaces, on-street parking becoming a walk or cycle lane, and home garages being used as green space or extra living areas instead."

Photo: Pat Scala

The roads will be safer

Autonomous cars won't get drunk, speed or take risky decisions on the road. They are also less likely to bump into things while parking, and have a better reaction time if a pedestrian steps into traffic.

The ADVI reckons there will be less opportunity for theft or assault in the future - you can't use a baseball bat to car-jack a computer, and a self-driving car will pick up and drop off passengers from safe locations. The days of walking to a dimly-lit and dodgy car park could be over.

You might get fitter...

The ADVI says automated vehicles "will create a safer environment for active travel", making roads a less hazardous environment for cyclists and pedestrians. Advanced vehicles such as Volvo's upcoming XC60 scan the road ahead for pedestrians and cyclists, and they might be better at recognizing hazards and. Judging safe passing distances than human drivers.

That could encourage more people to get on their bike, particularly as air quality improves as hybrid and electric cars become commonplace.

... but you could get fatter

Then again, innovation has a habit of making us lazy. The ADVI warns that "the greater convenience of automated vehicles could potentially encourage a reduction in active travel modes such as walking or cycling", though that seems unlikely in urban environments.

Sydney Mayor Clover Moore is famously anti-car, having taken road space away from vehicles to introduce cycling lanes and vehicle-free areas. Other major cities are going cold on the car, suggesting that you're more likely to walk or cycle between future appointments rather than driving or catching a cab.

Photo: Eric Risberg

You will spend more time in traffic, but it won't be time wasted

The Australian Infrastructure Audit published in 2015 predicted that the Australian population will grow to 30.5 million by 2031, at which point the annual cost of traffic delays could grow by 290 per cent to $53.3 billion per year.

There are going to be many more vehicles on the road in coming years, making congestion a serious problem. It could get worse as self-driving cars hit the road, too - imagine 100,000 self-driving cars dropping their owners off at work at 8.30am before going off in search of a car park. Or what the roads might look like at 4.30pm, as all the self-driving cars wander back into the CBD to pick up their passengers. It's not a pretty sight.

But we will be more productive when stuck in traffic. Drivers today aren't allowed to touch their mobile phone, while drivers of the future will be able to hand mundane driving over to their car's computer before using a tablet or laptop to catch up on work, enjoy a TV show or movie.

Photo: Peter Rae

You might be less likely to catch a bus or train

There's no denying cars are convenient, particularly when compared to waiting for a bus, changing train lines and having to walk to and from the nearest stop.

The ADVI says there will still be a demand for buses and trains, but that ride-hailing services such as Uber are likely to become even more popular as self-driving cars become more prevalent.

Excell predicts that "driverless vehicles offer significant cost advantages over public transport, especially for first and last mile services."

Things are going to be different

Acknowledging that "there will not be an overnight switch" to autonomous vehicles, the ADVI nevertheless says it is time for motorists, legislators and carmakers to plan for the future, saying "it is critical that everyone enters this discussion with an open mindset and a willingness to consider change".

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Drive Comments

faejit | 24 May 2017 00:45

The first driverless cars allowed on the roads are likely to be small low speed pod like vehicles which will service a defined inner city area only. These will revolutionize city living and socialising meaning shoppers dont have to go to huge suburban shopping malls anymore, and city restaurants and pubs can expect much higher patronage once the worry of drink driving has been taken away. Deliveries too will be transformed meaning a restaurant or shop or supermarket can easily deliver goods. This is of course bad news for drivers, but the new service industries which will spring up may alleviate at least some of the inevitable job losses. I can envisage some drunken mayhem though - imagine putting a drunken friend into a autonomous car and thinking it hilarious to tell a car to go to some out of the way place with them?

faejit | 24 May 2017 00:45

The first driverless cars allowed on the roads are likely to be small low speed pod like vehicles which will service a defined inner city area only. These will revolutionize city living and socialising meaning shoppers dont have to go to huge suburban shopping malls anymore, and city restaurants and pubs can expect much higher patronage once the worry of drink driving has been taken away. Deliveries too will be transformed meaning a restaurant or shop or supermarket can easily deliver goods. This is of course bad news for drivers, but the new service industries which will spring up may alleviate at least some of the inevitable job losses. I can envisage some drunken mayhem though - imagine putting a drunken friend into a autonomous car and thinking it hilarious to tell a car to go to some out of the way place with them?

andyfreeze | 24 May 2017 04:44

the disruption will be far greater than this glossy and warm fuzzy article presents. No petrol industry, no taxi industry, no parking industry, no petrol taxes, no car ownership, substantially reduced mechanical servicing required if we go full electrical, no rego to worry about hence less government taxes. We need to worry about employment and government revenue becuase these will surely follow. We are just starting down this road and havent handled it too good so far.